Open thread: Sunday morning talking heads

posted at 8:01 am on December 22, 2013 by Allahpundit

Unsurprisingly, after a week that saw a federal judge slam the metadata program as “almost Orwellian” and Obama’s handpicked surveillance review panel call for major changes, most of the Sunday shows are all in on the NSA this morning. A member of the review panel, former acting CIA director Mike Morrell, is the star guest on “Face the Nation.” Expect some tough questions on whether he has any firm evidence that mass surveillance of this sort is actually foiling terror plots. (Spoiler alert: No.)

If you’re bored with Snowdenpalooza, there’s always Mike Huckabee on “Fox News Sunday.” Between the Phil Robertson suspension, the rulings on gay marriage in New Mexico and Utah, and the rumors about another presidential run, this may well be the most Huckabean news cycle ever. The ball’s all teed up; all he has to do is swing. The full line-up is at Politico.

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I’ll be curious to see if Huckabee pulls any of that “Well, that’s something I never would’ve done, but….” crap that Santorum used or Pawlenty did during Tucson with Palin. Dan’t care so much for him but he was one of the few big names at the time who defended her without any qualifying remarks.

I’ll be curious to see if Huckabee pulls any of that “Well, that’s something I never would’ve done, but….”crap that Santorum used or Pawlenty did during Tucson with Palin. Dan’t care so much for him but he was one of the few big names at the time who defended her without any qualifying remarks.

Dongemaharu on December 22, 2013 at 8:24 AM

I’m not surprised at all that Santorum did that. I don’t expect Hucklebee will be so dumb…

Yesterday the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act was fast-tracked through the Senate, with no time for discussion or amendments. And you know, its Christmastime, so they just passed it so that they could recess for the holidays. The new version of the NDAA has already been quietly passed by the House of Representatives.

It authorizes massive spending, including $527 billion in base defense spending for the current fiscal year, funding for the war in Afghanistan, and funding for nuclear weapons programs.

The indefinite detention allowed by the original NDAA is still here, and it’s actually worse now, because there are provisions that will make it easier for the government to target those who disagree. Section 1071 outlines the creation of the “Conflict Records Research Center”, where the unconstitutionally obtained information that the NSA has collected is compiled and shared with the Department of Defense. The information, called in the wording “captured records,” can be anything from your phone records, emails, browsing history or posts on social media sites.

On Obamacare: Obama keeps saying changes can’t be made because “it’s the law of the land,” yet that doesn’t stop him from making arbitrary changes. Brings up TEFRA and the uninsurable, and that a program which directly subsidized the completely uninsurable and the 15% of Americans without insurance rather than disrupt insurance for everyone would have been far more palatable.

On Duck Dynasty: makes the point that the “tolerant” gays are completely intolerant of opposing views. Says that while Phil’s language may have been more appropriate for the duck woods than a magazine publication, he’s basically right on the substance, that homosexuality is a sin, and that it’s one of many, and there doesn’t exist a ranked hierarchy.

On running for President: said that he’s open to running, that he hasn’t made a decision one way or the other, and that previous interviews he gave to the NY Times et al were not solicited by him, but they approached him and he simply answered the questions. Said he’ll make a final decision sometime after 2014.

On income inequality: a quote of his was used to introduce the subject where he claimed there exists an axis of evil that exists between business and government, in which government bails out businesses, particularly the financial sector, and receives kickbacks in the form of campaign contributions. Lambastes politicians who support such a system while looking down on mothers who rely on government assistance to feed their kids. Says that from a policy standpoint though that just about any proposal would screw things up even worse, but that’s not justification to ignore the moral conundrum.

We should all remember to thank Huckabee for backing Senator Todd Akin

Don’t forget he also pardoned the Seattle cop killer.

These FOX loving GOP goons are so dead to me.

Mr. Arrogant on December 22, 2013 at 9:12 AM

A couple of points on those:

1.) Akin’s remarks came immediately before the deadline for another candidate being able to get in, and losers in the primary were explicitly prohibited from being that guy. Akin had also promptly apologized for his remarks, yet was continually excoriated even weeks afterwards, unprompted, by Reince Priebus and others who wanted to find a scapegoat for Romney’s inevitable loss. With no “unity” candidate to immediately choose from, and with no incentive to get out after receiving the persona non grata treatment, Akin made the logical decision to extend his middle finger to the party apparatus, and the party deserved it.

2.) On pardons, while the governor has the power to advise, the governor does not have the power to pardon in Arkansas. That doesn’t mean Huckabee is peerless or incapable of error in his recommendations (and there’s a few cases certainly that he’ll be taken to task on should he run), but to say that he pardoned anyone is wrong.

1.) Akin’s remarks came immediately before the deadline for another candidate being able to get in, and losers in the primary were explicitly prohibited from being that guy. Akin had also promptly apologized for his remarks, yet was continually excoriated even weeks afterwards, unprompted, by Reince Priebus and others who wanted to find a scapegoat for Romney’s inevitable loss. With no “unity” candidate to immediately choose from, and with no incentive to get out after receiving the persona non grata treatment, Akin made the logical decision to extend his middle finger to the party apparatus, and the party deserved it.

Akin said that women who are legitimately raped are protected from becoming pregnant by magic rape defenses. This is incredibly offensive to and dismissive of rape victims. That deserves a timeout, not a cursory apology. And yes it did contribute to Romney’s loss.

Just factually wrong. Huckabee did not pardon Clemmons. Clemmons was still in jail after Huckabee’s executive action – reducing his 103 yr sentence for non-violent crimes. The Governor granted the clemency at the recommendation of the parole board and the trial judge. Think about that. The trial judge thought Clemmons sentence was not right.

Anyone see his family Christmas photo from a few years ago? It was him, his wife, daughter, and their two fat adult sons — and the sons and Huck were all wearing matching striped shirts that I think a barbershop quartet loaned them. It was one of the creepiest family photos I have ever seen. Google it. You’ll laugh your ass off while simultaneously being entirely repelled.

re: Akin, he won the primary fair and square, he was the legitimate candidate and had a right to run his race. Plenty of candidates make stupid statements and are not asked to quit. Nobody demanded that Romney drop out after his 47% remark. If you want to blame Akin’s loss on anybody, blame turncoat, fairweather establishment Republicans who kept harping on a silly mistaken quote, rather than helping the candidate.

Akin said that women who are legitimately raped are protected from becoming pregnant by magic rape defenses. This is incredibly offensive to and dismissive of rape victims. That deserves a timeout, not a cursory apology. And yes it did contribute to Romney’s loss.

Illinidiva on December 22, 2013 at 10:15 AM

I do not disagree that his comments were offensive. At the same time, we are talking about a country where politicians have been allowed to continue, not for saying, but for doing far worse. And unlike many other shameless politicians, Akin had the decency to apologize. As for Romney, he was losing before Akin made his remarks in the polling, he was losing after it, and there was no movement in his polling from it. So you’re full of shit, and you know it.

Akin would have gotten out if Huck would have recommended it. The Repubs could have replaced him with a head of lettuce who could have beat claire.

re pardons:

Huck demonstrates his personal generosity and spirit of forgiveness where others pay the price.

Both cases illustrate the price of vanity. Also Claire backing Akin and Reid backing Angle show that Democrats are pretty good at handicapping morons.

casel21 on December 22, 2013 at 10:44 AM

First, there is no guarantee that Akin would have left if Huckabee had called on him to get out. There is not some magical command-and-control structure among evangelicals whereby Huckabee rules with some scepter. The biggest contributor to Akin’s loss, right after Akin’s own stupidity I would argue, was the Republican establishment which would not let it go and harped on it continuously. While I mentioned Reince Priebus, I would also point to Karl Rove in that group.

On your second point, I think that’s an eminently fair avenue of attack against Huckabee in that being too quick to forgive and being too quick to believe in redemption leads one to come to grossly erroneous conclusions, and which is why sentences should be served out fully.

I wonder if they will cover the pension cuts to vets and all the heat Ryan is taking. I doubt it. There are some interesting stories about his lying and covering up on this issue. You won’t see any of this on the RINO blogs like Hot Air and National Review that protect the establishment.

…he hasn’t impressed me…since his shenanigans with Mittens in ’08…sorry!…he gave us Senator Senile as a candidate…sure…we got Palin out of it…but…he has caused a lot of grief politically …in more ways than I can count!

After Akin’s comments went viral PPP scrambled to put out a phony poll to encourage Akin to stay in the race. I don’t remember off the top of my head, but the sample was something outrageous like R+14 and Akin only had a 1 point lead. LOL. Then the moron actually quoted it in his press conference as one of the reasons he was staying in the race.

There was a documentary about LBJ in which there was a parade of people saying how generous and caring LBJ was. Sure he was generous. It was not his money. We are still paying for HIS generosity. That is what makes a politicans displays of virtues so frustrating. They never foot the bill or suffer the consequences when they are wrong which is most of the time.

Agreed on the first point — I remember nothing of Ryan in the campaign. He was worthless.

But on this point — “Biden’s doormat”? Are you kidding. In that debate Joe Biden cemented his reputation as the biggest clown in American politics, and teetered dangerously on the edge of forced institutionalization. He was absurd.

Agreed on the first point — I remember nothing of Ryan in the campaign. He was worthless.

But on this point — “Biden’s doormat”? Are you kidding. In that debate Joe Biden cemented his reputation as the biggest clown in American politics, and teetered dangerously on the edge of forced institutionalization. He was absurd.

Ryan simply refused to drop to Biden’s sewer-level mentality.

Jaibones on December 22, 2013 at 3:19 PM

Ryan added nothing to the ticket. Brightest guy in the party, but no charisma and yes he did let Biden run the debate. Ryan should have called him OUT but he sat there and let Biden be the idiot he is…it worked in Biden’s favor. Voters LOVE idiots. Our party better wake up and realize running for prez is a popularity contest now…we have win before you can govern….whoever the prez is doesn’t matter…it’s who they surround themselves with…example Reagan.